Alright, I finished Sora no Kiseki the 3rd. The final dungeon, final boss and ending were just perfect. It's now my favorite in the series.

(Also, the music is amazing.)

Of course the music is amazing! It's Falcom! :D I'm surprised you liked it better than SC; I've never heard anybody say that before. :O Most people seem to think SC is the best game to ever be a game in the history of gaming.

Sora no Kiseki was the impetus that got me learning Japanese. Like four years later, I'm still not up to tackling a game with that much text :( . Maybe in another four years I can find out for myself, because the odds of XSEED going beyond SC are evidently slim. And those Kisekis keep on comin'.

I didn't understand everything perfectly myself, but I did get most of it. As for why I liked it more than SC, well... There are a lot of reasons, but I'll go into detail if you want. I'm always happy to discuss this series with anyone who's interested.

I keep forgetting I have the ripper equipped, and then try to shoot things from a distance with the primary fire button. Makes for shooting those emergency decompression doors really interesting. Also, this is a bad habit I seem to not have kicked from DS1.

Alright, I finished Sora no Kiseki the 3rd. The final dungeon, final boss and ending were just perfect. It's now my favorite in the series.

(Also, the music is amazing.)

Of course the music is amazing! It's Falcom! :D I'm surprised you liked it better than SC; I've never heard anybody say that before. :O Most people seem to think SC is the best game to ever be a game in the history of gaming.

Sora no Kiseki was the impetus that got me learning Japanese. Like four years later, I'm still not up to tackling a game with that much text :( . Maybe in another four years I can find out for myself, because the odds of XSEED going beyond SC are evidently slim. And those Kisekis keep on comin'.

I didn't understand everything perfectly myself, but I did get most of it. As for why I liked it more than SC, well... There are a lot of reasons, but I'll go into detail if you want. I'm always happy to discuss this series with anyone who's interested.

I'm always eager to hear more about the series... so long as you don't give any specific story spoilers that will ruin it for me.. . . I've already knowingly and willingly read a bunch of Ao and Zero no Kiseki spoilers just out of Falcomfanboystupidity.

Sure, I played it on easy mode, but it was still plenty challenging. Well, for me, anyway. I know some gamers have issues with playing games on easy. Like it hurts their pride or something. I gave up on that nonsense years ago. Easy mode allows me to actually enjoy games like The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite. or any game, really.

This post makes me happy. I play most games on Normal, because some challenge increases the tension and feeling of accomplishment, and some games cut stuff from easy, but it infuriates me that "normal" has no set standard. In some games it means "easy" and in others it means "bullshit". Failing repeatedly is not fun.

But what likewise infuriates me is that the internet is overpopulated with "real gamerz" so devoid of real-life accomplishments they think a game isn't enjoyable unless it's played on the hardest difficulty, and to validate that meager accomplishment they insist that anybody who doesn't share in their skill level/masochism isn't a "true gamer". Whatever the hell that means. I've been called a pussy for playing Ys games on Normal, and some jackass called me an "emo bitch" because I made a joking gripe about Demon's Souls (my PS3 would respawn if I threw it out the window, but leave the save data in a bloodstain in the street), because "real men don't bitch about the difficulty, they just man up and do it." Far as I'm concerned, a "real" gamer is somebody who. . . plays games. Y'know, for enjoyment, not to show off.

I switched Last of Us to easy...and got through the sewers....and that my friends is all I care about! I play games for enjoyment, not so I can scare the cat and dog with my yelling, lol. Seriously though, that battle with 3-4 clcikers and tons of infected was silly on normal, I cannot imagine being masochistic enough to even attempt it on a higher level. And Ikusagami I agree, one man's normal is another's madness. I play games on normal until I simply cannot advance, then off to easy mode. I have no shame. I paid for the game, I will enjoy it (unless it sucks i.e. Dishonored, lol)

I personally play everything on normal and never switch to easy but that's just for my own personal "challenge" and to get somewhat rewarded for my efforts and strategies in a game. I might bump up the difficulty if I replay said game in the future(It will never happen with the Last of Us lol, normal mode of that game is the sweet difficulty spot for me) but I have no qualms whatsoever with other people playing however they want.. It's stupid to judge others based on that, especially since it's inconsequential to me and people are just trying to enjoy the game if they are getting stuck by the challenge.

A Link Between Worlds - I haven't played much yet, as I just arrived at the Eastern Palace, but It's pretty great so far. Looks fantastic, and has an awesome depth to it with the 3D on. I only keep it about halfway, though, or it gets too trippy.

My son got Mario 3D Land and played it a bit. Looks like a lot of fun, but not really my kind of thing. I just don't do Mario anymore. Heck, I never really did. Super Mario RPG being the rare exception.

He also played through Mario and Luigi Dream Team, which came with the system. That game looked a bit more my style. What REALLY shocked me was how great the music was. He kept running up to me and sharing the music. Very impressive.

And Ikusagami I agree, one man's normal is another's madness. I play games on normal until I simply cannot advance, then off to easy mode. I have no shame. I paid for the game, I will enjoy it (unless it sucks i.e. Dishonored, lol)

I personally play everything on normal and never switch to easy but that's just for my own personal "challenge" and to get somewhat rewarded for my efforts and strategies in a game. I might bump up the difficulty if I replay said game in the future(It will never happen with the Last of Us lol, normal mode of that game is the sweet difficulty spot for me) but I have no qualms whatsoever with other people playing however they want.. It's stupid to judge others based on that, especially since it's inconsequential to me and people are just trying to enjoy the game if they are getting stuck by the challenge.

I usually don't change the difficulty either, but that's just because I'm a stubborn old goat. The few times I have switched to easy, it was too easy, and thus boring. With the exception of Throne of Baal, which made me so angry even on the easiest setting, that I felt no sense of accomplishment at all, and am still pissed off two years later just thinking about it.

I do like Wizardry though, and I enjoyed Demon's Souls despite certain parts (Steve Irwin Simulator level/flaming boss), but it's more because I'm an idiot than any kind of "hard core" gamer. I have to be in the right mood to even start something I know is going to wake up my neighbors. :-X

The worst though is Mega Man. Every time I play one I vow to never touch the series again, and then a year later I start another and it makes me just as frustrated. I actually LIKE the games, but why the hell nobody has made a "normal mode" hack for them I have no idea.

And Ikusagami I agree, one man's normal is another's madness. I play games on normal until I simply cannot advance, then off to easy mode. I have no shame. I paid for the game, I will enjoy it (unless it sucks i.e. Dishonored, lol)

I personally play everything on normal and never switch to easy but that's just for my own personal "challenge" and to get somewhat rewarded for my efforts and strategies in a game. I might bump up the difficulty if I replay said game in the future(It will never happen with the Last of Us lol, normal mode of that game is the sweet difficulty spot for me) but I have no qualms whatsoever with other people playing however they want.. It's stupid to judge others based on that, especially since it's inconsequential to me and people are just trying to enjoy the game if they are getting stuck by the challenge.

I usually don't change the difficulty either, but that's just because I'm a stubborn old goat. The few times I have switched to easy, it was too easy, and thus boring. With the exception of Throne of Baal, which made me so angry even on the easiest setting, that I felt no sense of accomplishment at all, and am still pissed off two years later just thinking about it.

I do like Wizardry though, and I enjoyed Demon's Souls despite certain parts (Steve Irwin Simulator level/flaming boss), but it's more because I'm an idiot than any kind of "hard core" gamer. I have to be in the right mood to even start something I know is going to wake up my neighbors. :-X

The worst though is Mega Man. Every time I play one I vow to never touch the series again, and then a year later I start another and it makes me just as frustrated. I actually LIKE the games, but why the hell nobody has made a "normal mode" hack for them I have no idea.

Well for old school games like Megaman and the linear castlevania games, much of the appeal comes from overcoming the brutal challenges and mastering the levels to the point where you can easily breeze through them with some practice. I still rmemeber dieing for like 1 hour in the Grim Reaper stage in the original castlevania, then on the try that I succeeded I did that shit flawlessly and I wasnt even all that concentrated, I was just casually playing. Then I proceeded to die 2 hours in Dracula and when I killed that motherfucker it felt amazing. Same with Rondo of Blood, SC IV and Dracula X.

No idea why someone would care if a complete stranger played on easy. At the end of the day, as long as they are having fun who cares. I like it when games allow you to change the difficulty mid game. You find Normal too easy? Just knock it up to hard. Too hard? You can change to easy.

Dead Space.

Loving it so far. Bioshock is a lot more similar to System Shock 2 gameplay wise but I think that Dead Space got the atmosphere down a lot more.

I'm actually pretty blue that I play Bravely Default on Easy. I conquered FFV, and I was super proud of that. But then I get torn between upping the difficulty and sitting down with the game (because I can't say I'm in it for the story). It's actually kinda hampering my enjoyment of the game a bit; so I might start dividing it between Easy and Normal then (easy for grinding, normal for dungeons).

Well for old school games like Megaman and the linear castlevania games, much of the appeal comes from overcoming the brutal challenges and mastering the levels to the point where you can easily breeze through them with some practice.

The thing with oldschool Megaman is that a lot of the levels have a trick to them, or like, there's a specific ordering that makes things way easier. The fuck-you bricks can be bypassed if you have certain tools in MM2, knowing the boss weakness can make a lot of the bosses easier, etc. The wily levels stll tend to be, er, zonkers.

I'm actually pretty blue that I play Bravely Default on Easy. I conquered FFV, and I was super proud of that. But then I get torn between upping the difficulty and sitting down with the game (because I can't say I'm in it for the story). It's actually kinda hampering my enjoyment of the game a bit; so I might start dividing it between Easy and Normal then (easy for grinding, normal for dungeons).

I've been going back and forth between easy and normal on Bravely Default. If I'm going through the story and fighting bosses etc I leave it on normal, but if I'm grinding for EXP, JP, or PG then I put it on easy because you don't lose any of those, but battles go faster because the enemies have worse stats. Just makes things go faster. I think anyone who doesn't do that and doesn't want to spend their life grinding would be stupid not to.

MAN, this game can be very unforgiving when it feels like it. Sometimes it throws me a bone--literally--and crushes my head with a boulder. So far, I'm doing okay, but man this can be painstakingly frustrating sometimes. I'll tell you one thing, however, the reward and satisfaction for completing puzzles is very satisfying. :)

Also, almost done with Pokemon Y! My starter is at level 81 (fire) and the rest of the team mid 60s-70s. It's odd, because I had no intentions on using two of them (they were my HM slaves), but they proved themselves useful in battle.